RBOC

Regional Bell Operating Company

(pronounced: R-bawk)

One of the seven "baby Bells" created by the break-up of "Ma Bell" (AT&T) in 1984: Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, Southwestern Bell, Pac Bell, US West, and NYNEX. The baby Bells, in turn, own twenty-two smaller BOCs (Bell Operating Companies) that provide local telephone service.